Work to start on new inclusive and accessible Memorial Park play area

Work to install a new inclusive and accessible children’s play area at Herne Bay Memorial Park will begin on Monday 24 August.

The £300,000 city council project takes place on the site of the existing play area at the junction of King’s Road and Dering Road.

The current site will be extended, with new equipment added that will sit alongside some of the more recent equipment that was installed in 2023.

It will provide modern, inclusive and accessible equipment that encourages play, social interaction and physical activity for children of all ages and abilities.

This includes a fully accessible wheelchair swing (radar-type key required to access it), fully accessible wheelchair seesaw, an accessible sand pit, sensory play zone, calm play zone, dynamic play, shaded seating areas, BSL/Braille signage and plenty more.

As part of the design and evaluation process, the council worked closely with the Special Needs Advisory and Activities Project (SNAAP), consulting with parents, carers, children and young people with additional needs and disabilities, to help ensure the new facility meets a wide range of needs.

To allow the work to take place safely, the current play area will be closed from Monday 24 August. It is anticipated it will be completed by early October.

This does mean the play area will be unavailable for the last week of the school holidays, but the timing has been dictated by the availability of the specialist play equipment installers.

Cabinet member for play areas, Cllr Mel Dawkins, said: “This is such an exciting project and we can’t wait to get started on it.

“A lot of hard work has gone into making sure we have new play equipment that will truly be suitable for all. We’ve done our research and spoken to the experts to check we’ve got this spot on.

“This play area will be bigger and better than it’s ever been and will mean all children can play alongside each other and learn and socialise together.

“We can’t wait to see the end results in a couple of months’ time.”

The scheme is being funded through a combination of council capital funding and Section 106 developer contributions from Herne Bay development schemes.

Published: 30 July 2026